A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates to clothing having one or more points of closure, where at least one such point of closure is secured with a lock.
Clothing has always been held on the body via closures such as zippers or buttons or has been cut in such a way that it can be put on and taken off the body without the need for closures, such as, for example, dresses that are put on and taken off over the head or workout pants held on the waist by elastic. These are the standard, accepted ways of putting on and taking off clothes, and even the haute fashion designers have not, throughout the long and glamorous history of fashion, introduced any alternative ways of putting on or taking off their creations.
The present invention provides an alternative adventuresome, comfortable and provocative way of putting on, wearing, and taking off clothes.
In accordance with the invention, an article of clothing of the present invention is held together at a single point of closure, or at a single main point of closure, or at several points of closure by a locking device in such a way that unlocking the locking device results in the clothing opening or falling away from the body.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cclosurexe2x80x9d includes any part or parts of a garment or other article of clothing that can be joined in a releasable fashion, e.g., the closure can be opened. When two parts of a piece of clothing are releasably joined, the closure is said to be xe2x80x9csecurexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9csecured.xe2x80x9d Typically, opening a closure renders an article of clothing easier to remove. As used herein, a single point of closure indicates that, in addition to the locking mechanism, a garment or other clothing is not held on the body by any additional closure means, such as buttons, zippers, snaps, etc. As used herein, a single main point of closure indicates that the garment may have closure means, such as snaps, in addition to the locking device. As used herein, several points of closure indicate that the garment has several closure points at least two of which are held together by a locking mechanism. However, in all embodiments of the present invention, a garment is not held on and in place on the body unless the locking device(s) is fastened and locked, such that unlocking the locking device(s) causes the garment to open or fall away from the body.
The locking device, which is preferably a lock, must be secured in order for the garment or other clothing to stay on and in place on the body. In accordance with the invention, clothing encompasses all types of garments, such as, for example, lingerie, bathing suits, pants, jackets, tops, dresses, skirts and evening wear for men and women. Articles of clothing as used herein further includes accessories worn on the body such as belts, footwear shoes, sandals, boots, scarves, shawls, ties, capes, hats and the like. The locking device facilitates the ease and speed of putting on and taking off all such articles of clothing and creates a fun, adventuresome and provocative way of wearing clothes.
Preferably, the locking device is a lock of a variety of shapes and sizes, such as, for example, a small heart shaped lock, a cylindrical, square or oval lock, or any other geometrically or otherwise shaped lock or combination of locks. The lock can be monogrammed with the designer""s initials or otherwise engraved to enhance the appeal and recognition of the clothes. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9clockxe2x80x9d means any first device that can be used to secure a closure and that requires a second device or piece of information (a xe2x80x9ckeyxe2x80x9d) to be opened. Examples of a lock include a key padlock, a rotary combination lock, a multi-rotor combination lock, an electronic lock, etc. An example of a three-rotor multi rotor combination lock is the Model 620 and the Model 1544 Padlocks manufactured by the Master Lock Company, 2600 North 32nd Street, Milwaukee, Wis. 53210-0367. An example of a key padlock is the Model 3115 padlock manufactured by the Master Lock Company. An example of a rotary combination lock is the Model 1500 padlock made by the Master Lock Company. These illustrate examples of types of locks suitable for use in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The size of the locks used with a garment in accordance with the present invention should typically be small (in some cases, smaller than the cited Master Lock Company model numbers) so as to be effective and yet relatively unobtrusive.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9ckeyxe2x80x9d means any device or information needed to open a lock. Examples of keys include a thin piece of metal with a pattern cut in one or more edge, such as an padlock key; a combination, such as that for opening a single dial or multiple rotor combination lock; a sequence for depressing a series of buttons or levers for opening an electronic lock; etc.
The lock can be opened and closed by a key or by any other known means of opening locks, and the locking mechanism can be located at any point along the lock, can be indented or protruded, and can be of any desired shape. Further, the lock can be fastened in a variety of ways at any desired point along the garment, such that when the lock is open the garment opens or falls away from the body. The lock can be made of any suitable or desirable material.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the lock holds a garment together at a single point of closure. Thus, when the lock is unlocked, the garment opens or falls away from the body without any further manipulation such as having to undo buttons or zippers. The locking device also frees the wearer from the problem of having to replace lost buttons or fix broken zippers. The fact that the entire garment is held together at only a single point adds excitement, adventure and romance to the act of wearing clothes.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the locking device holds a garment at a single main point of closure. For example, a bodysuit according to the present invention may have snaps on the bottom to facilitate the ease of wearing the suit. However, unless the locking device is fastened and closed, the bodysuit will not stay on and in place on the body. Similarly, where a garment is stretchable, it may be possible to take off a garment of the present invention without unlocking the locking device. However, this manner of disrobing is highly inconvenient, whereas unlocking the locking device immediately results in the garment opening or falling away from the body, and will add adventure and romance to the process.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a piece of clothing has at least one closure that is secured using a lock. The piece of clothing with one or more points of closure secured by locks is worn by a first person. A second person is provided with a key to at least one of the locks. In one embodiment, a key is provided by the first person (the xe2x80x9cwearerxe2x80x9d) to the second person (the xe2x80x9cundresserxe2x80x9d). The second person uses the key to open the lock and thereby the closure, helping the undresser towards removing the piece of clothing from the wearer.
Embodiments of the present invention are further described hereinbelow.